See You Again
by Spanish Sunrise
Summary: How Robert and Annie met that night at the New York opera house.


**Not a fan of Hannah Montana…or Miley Cyrus…or whatever she's calling herself this week…but my little sister had this song on replay for over an hour, and as I begun to think about it, the lyrics actually fit the story. Eh? **

**May not be entirely accurate, for example, I could not find Susannah's husband's name. So I made it up. **

**Enjoy! ;)**

**UGH! The format is weird. What is wrong with fanfiction!**

Robert despised social functions such as the opera; they reminded him of pompous New Yorkers dressed in ridiculously colorful costumes hollering incoherent Indian war cries across the stage with their high, soprano vocal cords. He was not going, dammit, and nothing short of a presidential order could drag him away from his volume of Emerson on this Sunday night.

"But Robert, this is New York!" Susannah sighed lustily, her lively chocolate eyes dancing with light.

Robert rolled his brown eyes, melting into a shade of sky blue around the irises. "Susie, it's a city. You've seen one you've seen them all." It was unlike him to categorize something this way, but he was scraping the barrel for excuses.

Susannah squared her shoulders against Robert, crossing her arms in defiance. "Robert why are you such a square lately? You love New York!" She argued.

"Yes, but not operas." He shot back quickly.

It was Susannah's turn to roll her eyes. "Robert do you value your health?"

Robert leaned forward, arching one shapely dark eyebrow. "Pardon?"

She smiled as if she thought she was getting somewhere. "You heard me."

Robert blinked, setting down his precious copy of Emerson.

Susannah smiled again, pleased with his reaction. "If you value your health, my darling brother, you will come to realize that your attendance at this particular opera would be moat beneficial to your self-preservation."

Robert smirked, awakening from his trance. "Is that the same charming speech you delivered prior to your husband's proposal?" He teased, wincing slightly as she pulled indignantly on his earlobe.

_I got my sights set on you and I'm ready to aim  
I have a heart that will never be tamed  
I knew you were something special  
When you spoke my name  
Now I can't wait to see you again_

Annie was indifferent to an evening at a New York opera. She was neither excited nor bored. But she was nervous. One of her dearest friends, Susannah, was dragging her out of her comfortable flat to see the show and renew their long-distanced friendship. However, it was only _after_ Annie had agreed to go and the tickets were bought, did she tell her that she would be escorted by her older brother.

Annie rolled her eyes at her reflection in the mirror. It was no surprise that Susannah managed to 'forget' such a detail and remember it only on the day of the event when neither party could get out of the unbreakable trap she had so expertly created. She loved Susannah the way one would love a dear sister, but Susannah had an uncanny ability to control fragments of your life without you even knowing it until it was too late.

Annie knew little about her older brother, except that he was in his twenties, named Robert, and unbearably shy around women. What an extraordinary mix! Annie was unbearably shy around _men_. This evening was _destined_ to be awkward! Annie sighed pathetically, leaning against the desk of her vanity on her elbows, despite her mother's warnings on them getting ugly and wrinkled, and stared at her reflection in the mirror.

Annie was a pretty girl of eighteen, in the danger age of becoming an old maid, but she did not see a sliver of her beauty in the reflection of the looking glass. Her hair was a thick mass of reddish-brown curls, falling into her eyes as she blew them out of her face, only to have them fall back down again. Her complexion was pale but easily bruised. Her heart shaped face looked ghostly amidst her red-velvet hair. Her eyes were a deep, deep brown, almost black, framed by thick sooty eyelashes that brushed against her cheekbones whenever she blinked.

_I've got a way of knowing when something is right  
I feel like I must have known you in another life  
Cause I felt this deep connection when you looked in my eyes  
Now I can't wait to see you again_

"Susannah, why did you not tell me earlier?" Robert demanded _calmly_, sitting across from her and her husband, Thomas, in the carriage ride to some 'Miss Haggerty's' home.

Susannah smiled knowingly, gloating even, and smoothed out her silk skirts. "If I had told you, you never would have come."

Robert scowled at her, none-to-happy. "I prefer to have been notified." He growled softly.

"Well, now you have been." Susannah sighed, but the gleam in her eyes remained. "Tosh darling, with your fear of women, I would not have been able to drag you out of the house, even with Thomas's help." She turned to smile fondly at her red-headed husband. Robert surrendered, heaving a sigh and leaning back in his carriage seat. "Who am I escorting, again?"

Susannah was impatient. That is why women talk twice as much as men, because you have to repeat _everything_ to them. "_Annie_. Annie Haggerty. She is one of my closest friends." She thought of how long the evening will seem for her if neither of them speaks. "Please Rob, I beg you, yes _beg_, do open your mouth a little, she's just as shy as you are."

The carriage paused in front of a lovely brick house with a small, dark green lawn, and Thomas stepped out of the carriage to escort his wife. He led her to the door and Susannah turned to him when they were out of Robert's hearing-radar. "Do make sure he goes. This is really important to me." He nodded and she kissed his cheek. "I will meet you both at the theater in exactly one hour."

_The last time I freaked out  
I just kept looking down  
I st-st-stuttered when you asked me what I'm thinking about  
Felt like I couldn't breathe  
You asked what's wrong with me_

Annie stumbled down the stairs, barely remembering to lift her skirts; when her Irish maid Bridgett told her that Susannah had arrived. "Susannah!" Annie shouted when caught sight of her.

"Annie, darling!" Susannah exclaimed, wrapping her arms around her friend's waist. "It's so good to see you again, you look gorgeous." Susannah spoke from her heart, but Annie still could not help but compare herself to her good friend.

Susannah was the epitome of beauty. She had blonde hair the color of warm butter, swept up in soft festooned waves covering her ears. She had bright, cocoa colored irises which were unusual for blondes, sparkling and dancing with light. Her complexion was snow-pale; the type of skin women prized and went through great measures to achieve. Her figure, of course, was to die for, a waist so slim it made her swishing of hips that much more glamorous. A vision in dark blue-water silk, she made Annie feel like a troll under the bridge through which she flowed.

Annie smiled nevertheless."It's good to see you, too."

_My best friend **Susannah** said "Oh she's just being **Annie**"  
The next time we hang out  
I will redeem myself  
My heart it can't rest till then  
I can't wait to see you again _

Robert sat in a dimly lit New York opera house two seats down from Susannah's husband, listening to the excited murmur of conversation from the audience around him. He dug through a pocket on his black-silk waist coat, producing an intricate silver pocket watch that once belonged to his grandfather, the late Robert Shaw. He snapped it open. The time did not please him, and he shut it abruptly, dropping it back into his dark pocket, irritated.

"They should be here soon." Thomas called down the aisle, trying to reassure him.

Robert nodded at him. "Yes, I know." He was not surprised that they were late, it take women hours to pick out a dress let alone go through the process of putting them on.

A few minutes passed before Thomas spoke up again. "Ah, there they are."

Robert rose from his seat to display the courtesy that women deserved, feeling Thomas stand up behind him as well. It was Susannah who he noticed first, basking in the attention she was receiving from her red-headed husband, ignoring Robert completely. She glided passed him to Thomas, momentarily forgetting her guest and entranced with her young love.

Then Robert saw _her_. The perfect woman. He did not believe his eyes at first, as she glided down the aisle, her hips swishing and making her skirt appear like a bell, swinging back and forth. All Robert could do was stare openly at her, his eyes wide and his mouth probably open. Then…she looked at him, and Robert swore that the hum of conversation ceased, and the lights were all burning for _her_.

Her skin was like peaches and cream, slightly rosier than her white-satin elbow-length gloves. Her heart-shaped face was framed against shiny, luxurious auburn hair studded with pearl hairpins. But her eyes were the most attention-grabbing, like onyx gemstones with flecks of the finest California gold dust. Her dress was soft green, like a spring apple, bringing out the red in her hair as well as her blood-red lips.

She paused two feet before him, her face staring up at his, waiting to be introduced.

_I got this crazy feeling, deep inside  
When you called and asked to see me tomorrow night  
I'm not a mind reader but I'm reading the signs  
That you can't wait to see me again._

Annie felt a rush like she never felt before. Please let this man be Susannah's brother and not her husband, please. Her heart was hammering painfully in her chest with every step she took towards him, coming slowly closer and closer to him. Annie did not believe in love at first sight, but she figured that this was pretty close.

She stopped silently in front of him, her sparkly eyes gazing into his marble-carved face, appearing both innocent and wise at the same time. He had earth-brown hair that rested thickly atop his head, smoothed forward stylishly like a bill over his eyes. His eyes…his eyes were a different, wonderful story all together, and Annie could not help but stare.

They were hazel, a brown mixed with blue, like paints on an artist's canvas. They radiated age-old wisdom and respect, sharp with intelligence and soft in personality. They were both kind, and strict. Both fearless and sedate. Washing over Annie with their contagious warmth, making her feel at ease, but at the same time hoping to leave a lasting impression on him.

"Oh, how could I forget?" Susannah fluttered about them, and it was the first time (for Annie, anyway) that both parties wished Susannah would disappear. "Annie, I'd like you to meet my 'loquacious' brother, Robert Gould Shaw." Even the name was dashing. "And Robert, this is Miss Annie Haggerty."

Wordlessly, he reached for her small hand in his larger, thin one, brushing his lips over Annie's knuckles in a way that paralyzed her. "Miss Haggerty, it's a pleasure."

At first, no words came out. Annie racked her brain for some intelligent, impressive reply, but her thoughts had deserted her. "Mr. Shaw." Was all she could muster out of herself, choking on other words she wanted to say to him but it would seem improper.

He smiled suddenly, lighting up the dim opera house in a way that made Annie feel that the stage lights were suddenly unnecessary. He showed gleaming ivory teeth in shocking contrast with his sun-kissed face, melting her into a puddle as she smiled back at him. He was a very impressive man, and she failed to realize that he still had not let go of her hand.

_The last time I freaked out  
I just kept looking down  
I st-st-stuttered when you asked me what I'm thinking about  
Felt like I couldn't breathe  
You asked what's wrong with me_

Both Robert and Annie hardly noticed that the opera had started, let alone that it was in Act III of tonight's performance. They whispered through the entire show, barely hearing the music and the sopranos. Both parties had clicked immediately. Robert grinned with pride whenever he made her laugh, and Annie blushed in a pleased way whenever she impressed him with her articulate speech and thinking.

Annie found herself falling in love with this intelligent, deep man, and he found himself deeply infatuated with a woman who was not afraid to express her true opinions on serious, masculine topics such as war, religion, and politics. She had certainly left quiet a deep impression on him, and it was to their dismay when the opera had finally come to an end.

Susannah and her husband Thomas strolled past them, her skirts brushing against Robert's legs as she turned around and flashed him a secret wink. Robert could not help but smile in return. He helped Annie standup, and boldly offered her his arm, to which she graciously accepted. Together, the four wandered out of the large theater, and Robert could not ignore her warm arm which was slipped through the crook of his elbow.

"I hope to see you again, Miss Haggerty." He murmured softly, when they were out of Susannah's earshot, gazing down at her in wonderment. "It was a pleasure to meet you."

She blushed deeply and in turn Robert felt his face heat up. He was thankful for the darkness of the night to discolor his face. "I hope to see you, as well." She mumbled barely loud enough for him to hear. But he heard it anyway, and it energized him.

He kissed her hand once more, and then she was gone from him.

_My best friend **Susannah** said "Oh she's just being **Annie**"  
The next time we hang out  
I will redeem myself  
My heart it can't rest till then  
I can't wait to see you again_

Susannah was pleased with herself, very pleased indeed, as she watched her older brother unsuspectingly become lovesick. She had succeeded with tonight's secret mission, for she knew for a fact that both Robert and Annie left the theater slightly light-headed and probably swooning at each other. She was not blind, and noticed from the first moment how much they fancied each other.

It was like magic.

She was too excited to sleep, slipping out of her and Thomas's room, wandering down the hall for a drink of water. She paused in front of a glass and pitcher that was left by the maids for those very late-night purposes. The clear water rushed down her parched throat, cooling it and quenching her thirst, making her slightly drowsier as well.

"Susannah." She almost screamed in surprise as she whirled around to find her brother behind her, in his pajamas but no more drowsier than she was. In fact, his eyes were on fire and a crooked smile graced his face.

"Robert!" She gasped, mocking a scolding tone. "Do you not know it's not polite to sneak up on people?"

He only grinned some more, and it began to irritate her. "What, Robert? What is it? What do you want?"

He reddened, wringing his hands and looking very nervous. "Will you invite Miss Haggerty to Boston?"

She decided to tease him, it's not every day you have advantage over a future-colonel. "Why so curious?"

He shrugged, pretending to be nonchalant. "Mild curiosity." Susannah could see right through him.

She arched a blonde eyebrow. "Really?" She could tell that Robert was becoming frustrated, and she took pity on him. "Yes, I will."

He smiled again, turning to leave.

"Oh, Robert?" She called out, stopping him with her voice.

He half turned. "Yes?"

"I wager you and Annie would make an excellent couple." She giggled, turning away from his surprised face, fumbling for the right expression.

_I can't wait to see you again._

**Ugh, I'm not proud of this at all, it could have been better, but I'm such a lazy bum right now because I'm sick. Sorry.**

**Review please?**


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